Cesar Millan to share leader-of-the-pack tips at State Theatre

Cesar Millan, perhaps the best known dog trainer in the world, shares some… (CONTRIBUTED PHOTO )

March 08, 2013|By Irene Kraft, Of The Morning Call

From the time he was a teenager, Cesar Millan dreamed of becoming the best dog trainer in the world.

He grew up in rural Mexico in a house with few amenities. For fun, he spent much of his time on his grandfather's farm, observing the behavior of its many dogs. Little did he know that the information he gathered through his observations would be the basis for his success today.

It wasn't until his family purchased a TV when he was a teenager that he got a sense of direction. He loved watching episodes of "Lassie" and "The Adventures or Rin Tin Tin," and inspired by the amazing animal stars of these shows, he began dreaming of moving to California and becoming the world's best dog trainer.

Today he is a best-selling author and in-demand public speaker who earned his fame from his popular, long-running National Geographic Wild TV series, "Dog Whisperer with Cesar Millan," in which he visits homes and solves dog behaviorial problems with his seemingly magic touch. On Jan. 5, he kicked off a new National Geographic Wild series — "Leader of the Pack."

On Friday night, Millan will share his best secrets for becoming a successful pack leader, when he presents a show packed with how-to tips at Easton's State Theatre.

Millan will use dogs from local shelters to demonstrate techniques for developing happier and healthier owner-dog relationships.

Despite his long-time dream to be the world's best dog trainer, Millan will be the first to tell you he does not really train dogs.

After several years of working with dogs and their owners, trying to help them fix relationships that were tainted with problems, Millan realized how disconnected people were from nature and the world around them. It was at this point, he decided to redirect his dream.

Now, he says, he's a rehabilitator of dogs and a trainer of humans. Training people, he adds, takes introspection.

Before you even bring a dog home, you have to be introspective, Millan says.

"You have to take a good look at your habits," he says. "Are you a disciplined person? Are you a high-energy person? If you aren't and you have a high-energy dog, you won't be able to fulfill that dog's needs."

Matching the right dog to the right owner, he adds, is the theme behind his show, "Leader of the Pack." On each episode, he rehabilitates a shelter dog and trains three families. The family that is the best match, or has the best skills for handling that dog, earns the right to adopt the dog, he explains.

Part of the goal, says Millan, is to prove that shelter dogs make great pets.

"We say we are a dog-loving nation. But in reality we kill millions of dogs every year," he says. One of the best ways to stop the killing of unwanted dogs, he explains, is to find homes for them. The best way to ensure they stay in those homes is to be sure owners are properly trained to handle them.

"Even the most amazing, dog-loving human in the world can be an ineffective pack leader," Millan says.

The most common mistake owners make is not paying attention to their dog, he says. If you are walking your dog and become annoyed that he's pulling, are you really thinking about what you are doing with your dog or is your mind elsewhere, like on something that happened at work that day?

"If you are not present, the dog feels that you are not there, mentally and emotionally. What helps you achieve results is having an inner conversation with your dog," Millan says. "That focus, is more powerful in obtaining success than anything else."

Another common problem is failure to take control, he adds. To be a pack leader, you must take the leadership role and never hesitate.

"When you hesitate, it doesn't allow a dog to feel safe," Millan says. Dogs want to feel safe. A safe dog is a secure dog that's less likely to have behavioral problems, he says.

"Insecure dogs are the hardest to help," Millan says. Before you can even address inappropriate behavior, you have to address insecurities. "You have to build their self-esteem and that takes time."

So respected are his techniques that Millan has become the dog behavior expert to the stars. He's worked with celebrities such as Will Smith and Jada Pinkett Smith, Charlize Theron, Scarlett Johansson, Oprah Winfrey and Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg.

He has appeared on TV shows such as "Oprah," "The Tonight Show with Jay Leno," "Martha Stewart," "The View" and "Live with Regis and Kelly." He also has had cameo roles on the TV series "Ghost Whisperer" and "Bones," and the films, "Beethoven's Big Break" and "The Backup Plan."

He has co-authored seven books: New York Times Best-sellers "Cesar's Way" and "Be the Pack Leader," as well as "Dog Whisperer with Cesar Millan: The Ultimate Episode Guide," "A Member of the Family," "How to Raise the Perfect Dog," "Cesar's Rules," and his latest, "Short Guide to a Happy Dog."